Our contribution to civil society and the community

We're a force for good 

In line with our values, we're a force for good in our community and strive to make a difference. This means we're serious about our social and environmental impact, act in a responsible and sustainable way, and add value to communities around us. 

We engage in various ways, including:

• supporting local communities and charities
• working with local schools, colleges and universities
• supporting STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and Maths) events to recognise and encourage young scientists
• running a virtual work experience programme to help hundreds of young people across the UK
• giving members of the public access to our National Meteorological Library and Archive

Our corporate charity

Each three years, we select a new corporate charity. In November 2022, we announced The Wildlife Trusts as our official partner charity following a detailed selection process involving employee votes.

There are 47 Wildlife Trusts right across the country, with 870,000 members and 2,300 nature reserves. Their ambition is to make local areas wilder and make nature a part of life for everyone.

Our partnership with The Wildlife Trusts links to our 'force for good' value, and the charity has many clear links to the Met Office in terms of our sustainability and biodiversity aims. We partner with The Wildlife Trusts on projects and support their research and campaigns.

Our volunteering 

Everyone who is employed at the Met Office is able to spend up to three working days per year volunteering. Activities may include roles in the community, in residential homes or with charities. 

Staff who are members of voluntary services (such as the Red Cross, the St John Ambulance Brigade, the Women’s Royal Voluntary Services, Coastguard Auxiliary Service, RNLI and Mountain Rescue) can also volunteer their services in an emergency. 

Through enabling staff to engage in activities that benefit our communities as well as growing their own skills, we hope to maximise our impact and be a force for good across the UK and beyond.

Our contribution to civil society

We are proud to work in a variety of ways with a wide range of civil society organisations.

We continue to look at new ways of engaging with them through formal partnerships and mutual support. However as a UK Government trading fund we are required to operate within the Civil Service Code and, as such, cannot support individual campaigns that actively lobby for policy change.

We are also covered by The Compact outlining shared values, principles and commitments while setting out guidelines for how Government and civil society should work together, and have an affiliate membership of the National Council for Voluntary Organisations.

Humanitarian relief and international development

Our climate science and severe-weather forecasting capabilities are of great interest to the disaster relief and development sector and we provide advice and support to organisations seeking to develop their own knowledge and operational preparedness.

We work with national meteorological and hydrological services of other countries, and support those in developing countries as a contribution to the UK Voluntary Co-operation Programme.

We are currently engaged with the Humanitarian Futures Programme on an exchange module aiming to combine the perspectives of scientists and international development workers.

Health-related services

We provide a number of health-related services and we are engaged with age and health-sector organisations, sharing expertise and ensuring that we remain focused on the needs and experiences of users of those services.

Corporate responsibility

We encourage staff participation in our sustainability practices including supporting the activities of our corporate charity.

Research programmes

We are a science-led organisation and our success in weather forecasting and climate prediction depends, critically, on having a world-class research programme.

Our services

We provide operational forecasts, data, research and consultancy services. Our services are critical to protecting lives, infrastructure and the natural world.